Police Battalions of the Third Reich

Book excerpt: The role that the German Police Battalions played in the destruction of the Jews and the Eastern European nationalities that the Third Reich had deemed superfluous or dangerous is little known. Only in the last fifteen years with the opening of the Soviet archives has their role in the deaths of millions become known. The German Police, often aided by local auxiliaries shot at close range over a million people in less than two years. Later in the war the battalions were formed into regiments and absorbed into the SS where they were active in the hunt for partisan bands behind the front lines. In this book you will find a history of each battalion and the men who participated in these actions. Many of these men who survived the war were never tried. Instead they continued their careers in law enforcement with many retiring with pensions from positions of importance.